Beauty Queens Difficulties
by Lizzalia
Summary: Piper Mclean has perfected the art of being invisible. She goes to a school where nobody even knows her name, or so she thinks. But what will happen when her dream, Jason Grace, begins to notice her? But can it last, or will Piper only end up even more hurt then she was before?
1. Chapter 1

Piper was hiding behind the sheds. The smell of mud and flowers floated up to her. She spent every day behind the sheds, avoiding the general population of Hallandale High. They didn't understand her, they didn't even see her most of the time. Piper had perfected the art of being invisible over the lonely years. Going unnoticed. Unobserved. Unseen. She preferred it that way.

Piper had given herself her haircut, using a pair of safety scissors she bought at the local chemist. Her clothes were plain, nothing fancy. Of course she kept all the stuff her Dad gave her, trying to let him believe that he was being a good father. Which he was. Sometimes. He just didn't really get her. But she kept them at the back of her wardrobe, a pile of sparkly, glittering, expensive dresses, just right for the daughter of a movie star. She didn't want to hurt her Dad. Gods, he was already hurt enough. She sighed again and twirled one of her messy braids around her finger, counting down the minutes until the bell went for class. She wondered if he would ever get over Mum. _Mum. _Piper shook her head. Pushed her thoughts away. Her Mum was dead, so what was the point in thinking about her?

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

The buzzers piercing sound cut her out of her thoughts. As she moved silently along the wall she spotted Jason Grace. The most popular guy in school. His sandy hair was windswept and falling around his face, framing it with gold. Pure blue eyes sparkled as he laughed, throwing one arm around his girlfriend, Reyna. She was beaming at him, black hair swishing...

Piper looked away. Walked to class and sped through her work. Not too fast though, too fast would get her noticed. She didn't want that. Even the teacher's eyes slid past her when they chose their next victim.

After school, she walked home, and wandered quietly through the back door of her house. _Mansion. _

'Hey honey. How was school?'

'Hi Dad. The usual, how did the audition go?'

His face lit up. 'Great! I got the part easy'

I smile, genuinely happy for him. 'That's great Dad, I'm glad.'

'Hungry?'

'No'

'You never are'

She just forced a smile, 'Maybe tomorrow she called, as she slipped up the stairs.

'If you say so'

Piper ran up to the third floor, where her bedroom was, and collapsed on her bed. A blonde face was still hovering at the edge of her thoughts. She smiled to herself. _Jason Grace. _Her hope, her impossible dream. She fell asleep in the fading golden light, with Jason Grace penetrating her thoughts.


	2. Chapter 2

Piper woke to the sound of her alarm clock beeping. Damn, she thought to herself. She must have missed dinner last night. Again. She dressed and slid lightly down the stair towards the smell of bacon frying. She sighed_. Every time. _They had a new cook and she _always _forgot about Piper being a vegetarian. She grabbed an apple from the bowl on the table, called out a good bye to her Dad and left for school, ready for another day of being invisible. At least, she reasoned with herself, She would see Jason again.

_I wonder if Mum would have walked to school with me_. The very idea of that situation made Piper laugh. She told herself to stop thinking, and to concentrate more on putting one foot in front of another. She had been thinking about her Mum way too much recently. It needed to stop. She knew that it only made her Dad worse, seeing Piper upset. Piper was so wrapped up in thoughts that she didn't see the figure in front of her until she had already run into it.

'Oh my gods, I'm so sorry!'

'No problem, no harm done'

It was only after he pulled himself off the footpath that Piper saw who it was. He smiled. 'Hey, I'm Jason Grace.'

Piper wished she could make some witty comment, like anybody else would have done. But she was pretty sure that what came out was something like ' Uhhhh ummmm sosorry'

He frowned 'What?'

Piper just stood in shock staring at him. He was _talking to her. _Yeah so she had probably just injured the most popular boy in the entire school, but still. _Jason Grace was talking to her._

He shook his head. 'Yeah well, got to go. Nice meeting you, Miss. No name'

Piper could only watch as he turned his back on her and stalked away, the sunlight catching on his broad shoulders.

The rest of the walk to school, Piper could only think about Jason. It also dawned on her that he most likely hated her now, which was worse than him just not knowing who she was. It didn't exactly improve her mood.

Piper spent the day spying on Jason Grace, as he laughed with his friends, always appearing to have one arm around Reyna's shoulders. The others, Piper was pretty sure their names were Frank, Hazel, Percy and Annabeth, were crowded around him, joking and messing about. Piper was pretty sure she saw each of them kiss someone else at least once. She went to her classes, looked at the ground and stayed under the radar. At one point Jason glanced in her direction, and she quickly ducked her head down, hoping he hadn't caught her staring.

She went through her familiar routine after school. Walking back the direction she came, creeping discreetly through the back door and telling her father she wasn't hungry.

'But you said you would be today! I'll get Sarah to fix something up for you, if you like' he offered.

Piper hurriedly shook her head. 'No thanks. I'm really fine. I'll have some dinner tonight though.'

'Ok then, if you say so.'

She trudged up the stairs and went to get changed. She glimpsed herself in the mirror her Dad had insisted on putting there.

_'One of these days you'll thank me for it' He had said to her._

_'But Dad, I don't care what I look like.'_

_'It was your Mothers though'_

The memory made Pipers eyes well up with tears. Why did she have to be the only person without a Mother? Why her? She stared at her reflection. She wasn't exactly ugly, but she certainly wouldn't say she was pretty either. Her choppy brown hair was tied in braids, and decorated with the colourful feathers she found in the garden. Her skin wasn't too bad. Not pretty, she though, definitely not beautiful. She frowned, and turned quickly away from the mirror. Since when had she cared anyway?

Piper read for a bit, enjoying the solitude, before heading downstairs. Her Father would be happy with that. 'Hey Dad'

'Hey Pipes'

Piper sat and waited while Sarah served up beef for dinner. After she had left, and Piper had filled her plate with bread and butter and salad, she decided to ask him.

'Dad?'

'Yes, Pipes'

'What exactly happened to Mum?' Piper got the exact reaction she had been expected. It was the same reaction he always gave when she asked about Mum. 'Dad, please. I'm old enough to know. I have a right to know'

He managed a smile, but Piper could tell it was forced.

'Like I've always said, Pipes. She died just after you were born. Not sure how, or why. You were one at the time.'

Piper could tell he was hiding something, but she didn't say anything. 'Tell me more about her.'

He exhaled. 'She was beautiful. You look similar. Her name was Aphrodite. I love her more than anything. Except for you, of course. You're my number one girl, Pipes. Always will be.'

Piper nodded slowly. She took note of the fact that he said _love _instead of loved. _Aphrodite. _Her Dad had never given her a name before. 'Thanks Dad, I appreciate it. I think I'll go to bed now though.'

'Right. Night Pipes'

'Night Dad'

With that, Piper left her Father sitting alone at the huge table, his eyes glimmering with tears he thought she couldn't see.


	3. Chapter 3

_Piper spun round, her breath coming out in short, sharp gasps. Her heart was pulsing madly. A cracking sound came from behind her. She turned to what she thought was the direction it came from. That's funny, she thought. The sound seemed to be coming from everywhere around her. Everywhere, yet nowhere, at once. The night air was cold on her bare skin, the wind howling through the trees, causing leaves to float down and stick in her hair. She couldn't see anybody else, but she was somehow sure that she wasn't alone. 'Hello? Anybody?'_

_'__G'day'_

_Piper nearly screamed out loud. She couldn't breathe, her throat was blocked in fear._

_'__Hey, chill out Beauty Queen. I'm friendly'_

_'__Jason?' _

_She frowned. It didn't sound like Jason, but it had to be him. Who else would it be? The voice had gone silent, and Piper saw no more movement in the forest. 'Where am I?' She murmured. _

_Suddenly a figure emerged from behind her. Piper could just make out the silhouette of a person. A boy. She figured he was around her age, judging by his height._

_'__Who are you?'_

_He just laughed. He had a nice laugh. A joking sort of laugh. She had to smile. It just had that effect on her. 'I am me' he told her, and Piper could tell he was smiling, although she couldn't see his features in the dim night light. He glanced up, as if he had been reading her thoughts. Piper still couldn't see his face._

_'__Well, nearly morning, have a nice sleep.'_

_Piper felt herself frowning again. Gods, she was confused. 'Sorry?'_

_'__Don't be.' The boy started to retreat back into the woods, and for some reason Piper couldn't follow. She felt like her legs were made of lead, she couldn't lift or move any part part of her body, for that matter. 'Wait!' she muttered, her voice was getting fainter, heavier. She could feel her eyelids beginning to close, despite her best efforts for them not too. 'Wait?'_

_The boy paused, nearly out of sight. 'You know, you should grow your hair. Would suit you.' With that, he turned on his heels and disappeared into the silky darkness._

_Piper could feel herself falling, but there was nothing she could do about it. As she hit the ground, her last thought was how soft it was. Unbelievably soft. How could the ground be so soft? Almost like, a pillow... Before Piper could think anymore, her vision flashed, scenes running past her eyes. She saw her Dad, with who she assumed was her Mum. She saw her kissing a baby on the forehead, and whispering something. The baby smiled. _

_She was three years old, standing alone, watching her Dad cry softly, when he thought she couldn't see him. _

_She was five, staring out the window into the rain. Waiting for her Mum to come back, until her Dad pulled her away, telling Piper that she never would._

_She was ten, eating lunch in the school toilets. Hiding from the girls who always laughed at her. Who didn't care. A tear fell onto her sandwich. Why me? She thought for the millionth time._

_She was twelve, looking into those piercing blue eyes for the first time. _

_She was sixteen. Behind the sheds, watching as he laughed, wishing those arms were around her. Jason. She could feel herself falling in love. She tried to call out, but her voice wouldn't make a sound. Jason. Jason. Her vision dimmed. She could make out him walking away from her, after she had knocked him down. She tried to reach out, to apologize, but her arms wouldn't respond. She wasn't sure that it would have mattered anyway. _

_Her vision went black. The scene was gone, and Piper woke in her bed, the smell of burnt toast in her nose, her body beaded with sweat, and the name Jason still clinging to her lips, the memory of him walking away, again, still burning through her mind. _


	4. Chapter 4

_**Hey guys, thanks so much to all of those who have continued to read this far, I appreciate all the support and reviews, so thanks! Please enjoy. Would also like to clarify that yes, the last chapter was a dream of Pipers. Hopefully the content will become clearer as the story progresses. Anyway...**_

Piper sat up in bed, the burnt toast smell still lingering in her room. Piper sat up and glanced around. She liked her room. She could have had anything she wanted inside it; however she had just chosen simple cream wallpaper, with pale blue birds decorating it, the same shade of blue as the feathers she wore in her braids. She had an old wooden desk in one corner, a simplistic bed, a bookshelf and a little table with her Mum's mirror.

Her dream slowly came back to her, she remembered the boy in the woods. _Jason. It had to be Jason._ She wondered if the woman kissing the baby really was her Mum. She tried hard to remember what the women had looked like, her hair. Face. Anything, but she couldn't remember quite place it. She slipped out into the frosty air and dressed quickly, in tattered jean and a hoodie, before padding downstairs to breakfast.

'Hi Pipes.'

'Hi Dad.'

'So, did you sleep well?'

'Ummm, great' Piper lied. What was she meant to say? That an unidentified boy who she hoped was her soul mate, and her dead Mother who her Father was clearly still grieving had populated her dreams, in creepy old woods? She didn't think so.

'Good, Good.'

'Hey, Dad?'

'Yeah.'

'How did you know that you loved Mum?'

He sighed. 'Gee, Pipes. I don't know when exactly. I just...did. I fell in love with her the minute I met her, I think. As soon as I laid eyes on her, I just sort of knew. That I loved her.'

'How did you meet her?'

'Well, I was visiting a museum. It was in the Ancient Greek section. We were standing beside an old statue of Aphrodite, it was quite funny really. Your Mum was much more beautiful then that old goddess. I was browsing, looking at some of the things, thinking of how much your Grandpa Tom would have liked some of it. I was actually there to do some research. For a movie I was working on at the time. It was about Greek mythology. I actually found the work quite fascinating...'

Piper rolled her eyes. Great. When her Dad got started on his acting career, it was hard to make him stop. 'Dad? Aphrodite? Museums?'

'Right, of course, back to Aphrodite. Your Mum was taking a tour of the museum. I remember her laughing, a sweet, musical sound of joy and love. She wanted a photo of her and her Greek self. I offered to take it for her. I remember standing there after she left, wondering if I could believe myself that somebody so incredibly beautiful could possibly exist. I soon figured out that yes. She did. And she was your Mother. My true love. Aphrodite.

I think I stood in front of that statue for hours after she left, until the worker told me that I had to leave. I asked him if there was anybody more beautiful than Aphrodite. He said that no, there wasn't. I can remember clearly smiling at him and agreeing. But we both meant different people. To this day, I still don't think that there is anyone that is more beautiful, not even the goddess, if she was alive.

Anyway, a few weeks after that, I met her again. I was walking through town, thinking about the movie. Then I noticed someone, down an alley. Crying. Your mother was sitting, alone, on the path. Tears running down her perfect face. She told me that she had just been dumped by her drunk boyfriend, and left there alone. With nowhere to go, she was lost and lonely. Actually, I almost missed what she said, I was so busy thanking the gods for letting me run into her again.'

He chuckled at that, and Piper resisted the urge to tell him to just keep on talking. She was finally getting some answers. 'I helped her out, took her home. Gave her something to eat and put her to bed. But when I woke up the next morning, she was gone.'

He sighed. 'She never was one for hanging around.' Tristan Mclean smiled softly, 'She came back. A few weeks later, she turned up on my doorstep with an apologetic look on her face. Told me she was sorry. I guess I was stupid enough to believe her. I let her in. We were happy together. For a while, I even believed that she loved me. Then you came along, a while after. I had a baby thrust on my hands. But we were together, at least. We had each other. We had a family. We were going to get married. After she left...'

He stammered out that last word. Piper guessed it was because he was still grieving for her Mother. He took a deep breath, and appeared to pull himself together. 'After she left, I raised you myself. Best thing I have ever done. You taught me how to love again Pipes.'

Piper had to smile. She wanted to hear more, but she was late for school already. And she refused her Dads offers for rides, preferring to walk. 'Thanks Dad got to go.'

'Right. Bye Pipes.'

'Bye Dad.'

As she was about to walk out the door, Piper paused. 'Hey Dad, do you still love her?'

'More than I should Pipes. Much, much more. So much more than she ever has or ever will, love me.'

Ok... 'I thought that she loved you, that you were happy together.'

'So did I Piper, so did I.' Tristan rose to his feet, heading towards the stairs. 'You should get going. Don't want to be late for school.' Piper stood at the open doorway, listening to her Dad stomp slowly upstairs, probably lost in his own thoughts.

Piper went to school as per usual. She took her seat up the back in her English class, her thoughts swirling. Shaking her head quickly, Piper settled down to her work on her assignment. They were writing answers to the question, 'What goes unnoticed?' Piper had been sorely tempted to write down 'me.' Unfortunately she didn't really think that the teachers would appreciate that. So far she had written:

_The majority of things go unnoticed. The general population is not exactly very observant. To be noticed is to be seen. To be felt. Observed. Analysed. It is impossible, to notice absolutely everything, to see everybody. There is living proof on this planet that we live on, that anything can go unnoticed, if they wish too. If they do not yell out to the world everything...Being noticed is, in fact, completely overrated. To be noticed means to be judged. To be sorted. I have come to understand that people see only what they want to see. If somebody wants to believe that the grass is greener on the other side, then all they will see is how green that grass is. Even if it isn't nearly as green as they think it is. People get hurt easily in this world, purely because they do get noticed. They do get judged for what they are not. They get judged for what they are. Therefore I think that to be unnoticed, like practically everything that exists, is certainly a good thing to be. Smart, intelligent people do not bring attention to themselves. And by my careful observations, those people appear to be the happiest, the most free, the most independent. They understand the world, they understand where they stand. They know that they will be happier, much happier than those who do go noticed. Everything has a place, the hardest thing to do is find it, and learn to be happy with it. So, my answer to this question is simply, everything, only on rare occasions it is intentional, in most cases it is not. One of these days, everybody will die. It is inevitable. So what is the point of even wanting to be noticed at all?_

Piper sat back and studied her work. It was probably too long, but to be honest, she didn't really care. She just packed up her things and went out to the sheds. She spent the usual sort of day, happily being invisible. She went to bed happy in the knowledge that she was happy with herself, even if everybody else either didn't like her, or didn't know she existed. Most were the second option, but Piper didn't care. Not one little bit. She was her. She was who she wanted to be, and nobody else mattered. She glanced out the window, up at the blackness of the sky, decorated with stars. 'I love you Mum,' she murmured, and the stars seemed to shine brighter than they had just before. Brighter for her. Brighter for her Mum. Brighter for life, and brighter for love. Piper's lips curled upwards. Maybe, she thought. Just maybe, her Mum was out there somewhere. Maybe she was thinking of Piper. Maybe she was in the stars, watching as Piper stared up at her, listening when Piper spoke to her. Maybe one day Piper would see her again. Maybe they would become friends in a whole new world, and there Piper would get the Mother she always dreamed of at last.

Maybe Jason would realise that Piper was the one for him, like Piper had realised that he was the one for her, so long ago. Maybe he would finally see that they _were _meant to be together. Piper was so sure of it, maybe he would be too. Maybe. Piper's smile grew rapidly across her face. After all, it didn't hurt to dream, did it?


	5. Chapter 5

Jason was angry. Really angry. Piper could see that from her position behind the sheds. He was yelling at Reyna. As Piper watched from her hiding place, he turned around and stalked off. Piper silently followed. No one noticed as she emerged from behind the sheds and walked after him. No one noticed as she took a seat on a bench a few metres from where he had sat down, his back to her. They were on a circle of grass surrounded by trees. It was surprisingly quiet, only her, Jason and a couple of boys over the other side, exchanging money and something else. Piper didn't really want to know what. She looked back at Jason, his shoulders were heaving. Piper didn't know what Reyna had done to make him that angry, usually he was really, well, nice. Peaceful. Piper had never seen him go off like that before. She knew that Reyna had probably deserved it. She couldn't help but feel pleased that their relationship wasn't _that _perfect. But she was worried about Jason. Piper wanted nothing more than to go and comfort him. But she couldn't. What if Jason hated everyone now? What if he was so hurt he would end up hurting her? But on the other hand, maybe he just needed someone to talk to. Someone who would listen to him, someone who would care about what he felt. Someone like her.

Piper tried to gain the courage to go over to him. He was sitting alone, gazing into space. The anger seemed to have subsided, replaced by a wash of sadness. Piper knew that look. She saw it in herself nearly every day. The look of hurt, betrayal and loneliness. Piper had learnt to control her emotions, to not let her feelings show. She had perfected this, ensuring that nobody knew how she really felt, or what she was thinking. Piper turned her attention back onto Jason. His eyes had started to shine, and she didn't think that it was a reflection of the light. She took a step forward, then another, trying to look uncaring, invisible. It worked. The boys didn't pay her any attention at all, but continued to make deals with each other, their laughter breaking through the silence. She was able to make it close behind the seat. Invisible. Then Jason turned around. Suddenly she wasn't invisible anymore. Far from it. She could feel his eyes on her, burning into her skin. Pure blue eyes followed her as she stumbled back, like a snail retreating into its shell.

'Piper?' he asked, quietly, carefully.

Her heart did a leap. Her stomach dropped. A wave of dizziness swept over her, her vision turned black and Piper fainted. Her last image was of Jason staring at her, his eyes locked on hers, like he was looking straight into her soul. Piper had thought it was completely impossible to love Jason more than she already did, but in that moment, she was proved wrong.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Hey, thank you to everybody currently reading this. Double thanks to those who have reviewed. I promise Piper will begin to see more of Jason now. Keep reading and don't forget to review! **_

Piper woke on the ground. By Jason's position, he had obviously attempted to catch her when she fainted. He had also clearly failed. He was leaning above her, looking anxiously into her eyes. His blue eyes sparkled with worry; cute little creases appeared on his forehead. When it became obvious that Piper was fine, he sat back, exhaling in such a way that made Pipers stomach flutter. He smiled, and Piper found herself smiling back. The bell rang. Perfect timing she thought sarcastically. Piper sighed inwardly. Why now? Right when she was talking to Jason himself, why did the bell have to ring? Jason picked himself off the ground, offering her a hand. With trembling fingers she took it, raising herself off the ground.

'You ok?' Jason's voice was still clouded with worry. Worry for her. But at least he appeared to have forgotten about Reyna. She hoped.

Piper forced herself to smile. 'Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine.'

Jason returned the smile, the corners of his lips creases upwards. 'Good.' He turned to go, to head back out past the trees. But then he seemed to change his mind. He turned back to her. 'Oh and Piper? I didn't mean to make you pass out. I'm sorry.'

Piper's eyes filled with tears, but if Jason noticed he didn't let on. She shook her head. She didn't trust herself to speak. She couldn't mess it up now. She was so close.

He nodded slowly. 'Well, I'd better go. I'm going down to the beach after school. I should be there at about five. Then I might get an ice cream or something.'

Piper was stunned. Was he actually asking her out? She watched as Jason smiled again. 'See you around.' He walked away; Piper was reminded of the way he had walked away from her that first day, when she bumped into him. After Jason had left, Piper allowed herself to sink back down to her knees, and the tears began to fall. But she was smiling. 'Looks like I'm going to the beach,' she murmured to herself, warmth spreading over her body.


	7. Chapter 7

The beach was already crowded with people when Piper arrived. She stood at the top, watching the drama unfold beneath her. Tall, tan boys were playing volleyball in a corner, observed by a large crowd which appeared to consist mainly of teenage girl in brightly coloured bikinis. The surf was calm, dotted with people swimming under the glisten of the sun. Families set up camp in the sand, planting their umbrellas and chairs in firmly, marking their territory with eskies and picnic blankets.

Everywhere she looked, there were people. Old and young. Rebellious and conservative. Short and tall. Lost and found. A huge sea of bodies, crashing and churning. She had no idea where to begin looking for Jason. Part of her was tempted to forget this whole thing and crawl back into bed with a good book and whole heart. After all, he may not even have meant for her to meet him, right?

She was just about to leave when the sun went out. It took her a moment to realise that it was simply blocked by a boy. Jason.

'Hey' he said with a friendly smile.

'Hi.' She replied quietly.

He gave her a wide grin that warmed her heart. 'I was beginning to think you weren't going to show. Thought I'd have to track you down myself'

'You mean... like a bear?'

'A cute bear'

Were they flirting? Piper was pretty sure they were flirting. Not that she had had many opportunities but, it felt like flirting. It felt sweet and nice. Like ice cream on a hot day.

Jason glanced around. 'It's really busy huh? You want to get out of here?'

'Yeah', she said. 'Why not?'

She found herself sitting in small cafe down the road, sitting opposite Jason. He had insisted on buying her a large strawberry milkshake, regardless of how much she protested. It felt so date like, yet she knew it couldn't be a date.

'Do you have a girlfriend?' She blurted out suddenly. Her cheeks flushed as what she said sunk in. Gods.

He smiled, an amused expression on his beautiful features. 'No... Do you?' He paused. 'I mean... with a boyfriend that is. I don't think you're gay. Not that I have a problem with gays! They're great! I just...' He shook his head. 'I'm going to shut up now'

Piper laughed. 'No' she told him. 'I don't have a boyfriend.'

'Oh yeah? Cute bear like you?'

'Are you calling me a bear?'

'Must you ignore the cute part?'

'Yes. Yes I must'

'Ah I see'

'Jason...?'

'Yeah?'

Piper bit her lip. 'Is this a date..?'

He smirked. 'Do you want it to be...bear?'

She looked up at him shyly, and took a deep breath. Right then, it felt like the deepest of all deep breaths. 'Yes.'

Fortunately, he looked relieved. 'Then yes. It's most definitely a date.'

When she looked up at him again, their eyes met and he shot her an award winning smile. She had never liked someone quite like this before, and how did it feel? It felt like what heaven should be. Like two worlds colliding. Like fireworks, only way, way better.

He walked her home. They stood together on the crumbling path. He took her hand softly, his thumb running across her palm. Piper McLean. Will you give me the pleasure of being my girlfriend?

She glanced down. His shoes were faded and worn. 'I thought you never even knew who I was.'

'Oh Piper...' he murmured. 'I always knew.'

'Why me?'

His eyes were clear and shining. He spoke as though every word was cinnamon on his lips.

'Because you're beautiful, Piper. In every possible way.' And then. 'You always intrigued me. You made me want to know more. Always more.'

She nodded slowly.

'Yes' she whispered.

Then she went inside, and shut the door.

She couldn't get him out of her head.

And she didn't want to.

Fireworks.

Everywhere.


End file.
